Dan Stadden, assistant coordinator for the summer, is heading off to college! Dan will be attending Colby- Sawyer College in New London, N.H.

Dan has a seven-year history with the Teen Center. Becoming a member when he was 12 years old, at 14 he joined The Teen Center Advisory Committee which he served on for five years and during his last year and a half, also became a member of the People Plus Board of Trustees as a teen representative.

We asked Dan to share some of his insights and experiences being a member of the Teen Center all through his Jr. High and High School years.

Dan stated that overall, he feels it is extremely beneficial for the town to have the Teen Center, offering area teens a positive and influential place to go. His experiences with the center as well as serving on the committee and board had a great deal of influence on him during what Dan calls “a challenging time of personal growth” for youth.

“Having an open, welcoming place where people were happy to see each other, was great.”

Dan’s years at the center led to many friendships that he still has today which he attributes to the social skills he developed at the center. Dan stated, “Everyone should have a place like this to go to and I would have probably been sitting at home alone feeling lazy, especially when I was still too young to have a job. It’s crucial for programs like this to be available to teens. The center played an important and meaningful role in my life and I will miss being there.”

Along with friendships Dan developed at the center, he valued serving on the committee and board.

“Being on the Teen Center Advisory Committee and the People Plus Board expanded my social skills and communication skills building relationships with adults.” Dan stated, “the intergenerational aspects of this has been great. It has been helpful to see there are adults who are willing to listen to someone young, respecting what they have to say and who value their opinions. I feel better prepared for college life because of my experiences with the Teen Center. I feel more comfortable with the thought of group interacting and socializing at college after having the opportunity to do it for so many years at the Teen Center.”

Dan states, “It will be interesting to see how the Teen Center will grow and change over the upcoming years. Teens are under greater pressure from media and society today to be a certain way and do certain things and it’s stressful. Teens need a place where they don’t feel that pressure, where they can be who they are without all the outside pressures. The Teen Center is one of the rare places where you can do just that!”

Dan definitely hopes to be back to visit over vacation breaks and we all definitely hope that he does do just that! We wish him the very best experience possible during his college years!